Outer container for packing units

ABSTRACT

An outer container for holding a plurality of packages in close, tightly packed arrangement for transport or the like in which a folded U-shaped member of relatively rigid plastic material is provided for receiving the packages on the base portion thereof and at least one band or cord member is provided passing around the ends of the lateral side edges of said U-shaped member and along the outer surfaces thereof to hold the packages in close tightly packed relation. That portion of the container adjacent the fold lines between the base and sides thereof may be made of a more flexible plastic material than the remainder of the Ushaped member to facilitate folding and unfolding to a flat configuration for subsequent reuse. Also the ends of the side edges may be notched or recessed to receive the band or bands and thus prevent them from slipping off the container during use.

United States Patent [1 1 Stark et a1.

[ 1 Get. 15, 1974 1 1 GUTER CONTAHNER FOR PACKENG UNITS [75] Inventors: Sven Olof Soren Stark, Rydsgard;

Jan-Erik Olsen, Lund, both of Sweden [73] Assignee: Tetra Pak international AB, Lund,

Sweden [22] Filed: June 27, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 266,722

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Aug. 6, 1971 Sweden 10067/71 [521 US. Cl. 206/491, 206/425, 220/31 S, 206/819 [51] Int. Cl B65d 71/04 [58] Field of Search 211/49 R; 220/31 S; 206/DlG. 6, 65 B, 45.34, 425, 491

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 466,384 [[1892 Vale 211/49 R 2,233,207 2/1941 Gillam 206/45.34 3,017,148 l/l962 Wathem 206/DlG. 6 3,447,199 6/1969 Trimble 220/31 S X 3,511,433 5/1970 Andrews et a1 220/31 S X 3,561,595 2/1971 Weggeland 206/DlG. 6 3,633,785 l/l972 Cyr et al 220/31 5 X 3,642,998 2/1972 Jennings 220/31 S UX 3,645,384 2/1972 Wind .1 1220/31 S X Primary ExaminerLeonard Summer Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Pierce, Scheffler & Parker [57] ABSTRACT An outer container for holding a plurality of packages in close, tightly packed arrangement for transport or the like in which a folded U-shaped member of relatively rigid plastic material is provided for receiving the packages on the base portion thereof and at least one band or cord member is provided passing around the ends of the lateral side edges of said U-shaped member and along the outer surfaces thereof to hold the pac kages in close tightly packed relatio n. That portion of the container adjacent the fold lin es between the base and sides thereof may be made of a more flexible plastic material than the remainder of the U-shaped member to facilitate folding and unfolding to a flat configuration for subsequent reuse. Also the ends of the side edges may be notched or recessed to receive the band or bands and thus prevent them from slipping off the container during use.

5 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures 1 OUTER CONTAINER FOR PACKING UNITS The present invention relates to an outer container for packing units. In the transport and handling of the disposable packages used more and more at present, for example for milk and other victuals, frequently outer containers are used in the form of corrugated cartons, shrinkfilm-wrapped tubs or bins of plastic material, wood or metal. Outer containers of shrinkfilm or corrugated cartons are mostly of a disposable type whilst bins of plastic material or wood are return containers which have to be transported empty from the place of sale to the producers. The abovementioned disposable container is relatively expensive and the return shipments of the said bins are even more expensive, since the bins occupy a relatively large space. Thus there is a need for a cheaper outer container which can be used again and which can be shipped back without appreciable costs.

The present invention proposes such an outer container which is characterized in that it comprises a rectangular sheet of a relatively rigid material which sheet is provided with two parallel folding lines which are placed at a distance from one another and parallel with two opposite parallel edges of the sheet, that the lateral sections between the said parallel sheet edges and fold ing lines are set up towards one another by folding along the folding lines to form a wrapping with U- shaped cross-section, that the said packing units are placed in tightly packed relation on the base area situated between the folding lines of the wrapping, so that they occupy substantially all of the said base area and so that the packing units obtain lateral support from the said lateral sections, and that one or more cords or bands are arranged around the folded up lateral sections so as to maintain these in the folded-up position and to hold together the packing units arranged in the wrapping.

in the following will be described an embodiment of the invention with reference to the enclosed drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a cross-section of a flat blank for an outer container,

FlG. 2 shows a blank set up to a U-shape, and

FIG. 3 shows the outer container together with the wrapped packing units.

The section through a rectangular sheet blank 1 shown in FIG. 1 is intended to illustrate an outer container wrapping of a re-usable character, that is to say it will be possible to return the container after use to the producer of the packages so that he may use it again. The sheet blank consists of a rectangular blank which is provided with hingelike folding lines 4. With a view to allowing the container to be re-used the area around the bending lines 4 has in the case shown here been made of a different and more flexible material than the rest of the sheet material. The sheet blank has moreover a central base area 2 which is situated between the bending lines 4, and two lateral sections 3 which are situated between the folding lines 4 and those outer edges of the sheet blank 1 which are aparallel with the folding lines 4.

The sheet blank may consist for example of rigid polyvinyl chloride, whilst the area around the folding lines 4 consists of polypropylene. Another suitable material combination consists in making the sheet blank of polystyrene, whilst the hingelike folding lines 4 consist of a styrene-butadiene elastomer.

The manufacture of the sheet blank can be carried out in such a manner that the two materials in the sheet blank 1 are extruded together through an extruder, the

more flexible hinge material being localized in thearea where the folding lines are desired to be situated. in this manner the base member 2, the side elements 3 and the bending strip members 4 will have substantially uniform, parallel inner and outer surfaces. A sheet blank 1 with the material combinations specified here may be folded along the folding lines 4 a great many times without any risk of breaking or of diminution of the mechanical strength of the area of the folding lines arising. Owing to the fact that a more flexible material is used in the folding line area 4, the sheet material will, after folding have only slight tendency towards transverse deformation, so that the folded sheet can easily be flattened out.

When the sheet blank 1 is to be used as an outer container for consumers packages of disposable character, such packages are placed on the base area 2, whose size is adapted to provide the exact space for a certain number of packages. When the packages have been placed on the space 2 in compact stacking the lateral sections 3 of the sheet blank 1 are set up by means of folding along the folding lines 4 in the manner as illustrated in FIG. 2. For greater clarity the packing units have not been drawn in in F IG. 2, and it is of course also possible first to fold up the lateral sections 3 and then place the packing units on the base section 2.

When the lateral sections 3 have been set up in the abovementioned manner, one or more cords 7 are applied around the upstanding lateral sections 3 in the manner as shown in FIG. 3. For the fixing of the cords or bands 7 in the correct position the short side of the lateral walls are provided with cutouts 5 which do not have to be deeper than a few millimetres.

The cords or bands 7 may be of the textile or plastic type and the ends of the bands 7 may be fastened together by means of spot welding or by means of a socalled hot-melt material, which latter consists of an adhesive material that can be activated by heat and which can be applied in advance to one or both ends of the band 7.

By drawing tight the band or bands 7 around the outer container before the band ends are fixed together the packing units arranged in the same are held together in an effective manner, and it was also found that the outer container provides adequate protection against impacts and other mechanical stresses to which the packages may be exposed during transport. When the packages together with their outer container have reached the retailer, the outer container is opened in such a manner that the band or bands 7 are taken off by pulling backwards the free flap or flaps 9 of the band or bands 7, which causes the spot weld or the adhesion joint 8 to be broken and the band 7 may be taken off and thrown away. The lateral sections 3 can now be folded down to the same plane as the base section 2, whereupon the packing units 6 become accessible. When all the packing units 6 have been taken out of the outer container. the same can be stored in a flat layer together with other similar containers to be subsequently returned to the producer, who re-uses the container.

To make the outer container 1 lighter it is possible to make the sheet blank 1, or at least the lateral sections 3 and the base section 2, of a foamed plastic material, e.g. extruded polystyrene foam or extruded polyvinyl chloride foam.

It is also possible of course to use the outer container in accordance with the invention as a disposable packing material, in which case the sheet blank 1 is appropriately made of corrugated cardboard, and it was found that such a disposable wrapping will be appreciably cheaper than the shrinkfilm wrappings or corrugated cartons used at present.

We claim:

l. A reusable outer container for a plurality of packages'comprising a longitudinal substantially rectangular base member of a rigid flat plastic material supporting the packages, a pair of lateral substantially rectangular side elements of the same rigid material normally extending at substantial right angles from the longitudinal edges of said base member, the length and width of said base member being substantially the same as the length and width of said plurality of packages when in close, tightly packed relation, a pair of longitudinal strip members of a plastic material more flexible than the rigid material of said base member and said pairs of side elements, each strip member extending between and integrally connecting one side element to said base member at their adjacent edges to facilitate repeated folding therealong, and at least one band-like member fixed one to the other, said base member, said side elements and said strip members having substantially uniform, parallel inner and outer surfaces.

2. An outer container as claimed in claim 1 wherein each end of each lateral side element is provided with at least one recess for receiving said at least one bandlike member to hold said at least one band-like member in proper position.

3. An outer container as claimed in claim 1 wherein said longitudinal strip members are composed of polypropylene and said base member and said lateral side elements are composed of polyvinyl chloride.

4. An outer container as claimed in claim 1 wherein saidlongitudinal strip members are composed of styrene-butadiene elastomer and said base member and said lateral side elements are composed of polystyrene.

5. An outer container as claimed in claim 1 wherein said base member and said lateral side elements are composed of extruded foamed plastic material. 

1. A reusable outer container for a plurality of packages comprising a longitudinal substantially rectangular base member of a rigid flat plastic material supporting the packages, a pair of lateral substantially rectangular side elements of the same rigid material normally extending at substantial right angles from the longitudinal edges of said base member, the length and width of said base member being substantially the same as the length and width of said plurality of packages when in close, tightly packed relation, a pair of longitudinal strip members of a plastic material more flexible than the rigid material of said base member and said pairs of side elements, each strip member extending between and integrally connecting one side element to said base member at their adjacent edges to facilitate repeated folding therealong, and at least one band-like member extending around the ends of and over the outer surfaces of said pair of lateral side elements to close the open ends of the outer container and to hold said pair of lateral side elements against said packages thus forming a close, tightly packed arrangement of the plurality of packages in the outer container, the ends of said at least one band-like member being releasably affixed one to the other, said base member, said side elements and said strip members having substantially uniform, parallel inner and outer surfaces.
 2. An outer container as claimed in claim 1 wherein each end of each lateral side element is provided with at least one recess for receiving said at least one band-like member to hold said at least one band-like member in proper position.
 3. An outer container as claimed in claim 1 wherein said longitudinal strip members are composed of polypropylene and said base member and said lateral side elements are composed of polyvinyl chloride.
 4. An outer container as claimed in claim 1 wherein said longitudinal strip members are composed of styrene-butadiene elastomer and said base member and said lateral side elements are composed of polystyrene.
 5. An outer container as claimed in claim 1 wherein said base member and said lateral side elements are composed of extruded foamed plastic material. 